Leading a business is fundamentally about leading people, and no one understands people better than HR leaders. And while the route to being CEO has traditionally come through finance, operations or strategy, HR has been standing quietly in the wings – until now.
Leaders who started in HR such as Bertina Engelbrecht, CEO at Clicks Group; Jonathan Muthige, chief human capital and transformation officer and CEO: Growth Markets division at Alexander Forbes; and Akhona Qengqe, general manager at KFC, are proving that HR, often underestimated, is not only a valid, but a relevant route to the CEO seat.
Bertina Engelbrecht served as group HR director at Clicks Group for 14 years before transitioning into CEO in January 2022. Reflecting on that moment, she says she understood immediately that her appointment carried significance far beyond herself.
“Stepping into the CEO role was both humbling and profoundly meaningful. I came to realise that this milestone was not only for me, but also for underrepresented colleagues and women who ached for the realisation of precisely such a possibility within their own journey,” she says.
“Professionally, the experience reinforced my belief that leadership is a privilege. I see myself as a steward of a business that touches millions of lives.”
Her career, she reflects, was shaped less by a single turning point and more by a series of lessons across industries, specifically HR. Although some still question whether HR leaders are tough enough for the CEO seat, Bertina rejects the myth.
“Too often, empathy is mistaken for weakness. In reality, true leadership requires immense courage – the courage to make tough, and sometimes unpopular, decisions while staying anchored in your values. HR leaders understand people at their core – what motivates them, what challenges them, and what helps them perform at their best. That human-centred lens is a powerful differentiator in leadership.”
Bertina also shares one of her proudest contributions as CEO – building a workplace where inclusivity is lived. “My years in HR taught me that people flourish when they feel seen, heard and truly valued. As CEO, I am working to foster a culture where authenticity and belonging are not only encouraged but celebrated.”
Interconnected challenges
When asked whether South Africa is ready to see more CEOs rise from HR, her response leaves little room for doubt.
“Absolutely. The challenges facing businesses today are increasingly interconnected, complex and filled with paradoxes and trade-offs. Just as importantly, the challenges we face as a society are as much about people and culture as they are about economics and technology,” she elaborates.
It’s a perspective echoed by Jonathan Muthige, who stepped into a dual role at Alexander Forbes as chief human capital and transformation officer and CEO for the growth markets division.
“Entering the CEO role is a humbling honour at a personal level and an opportunity to leverage all the lessons accumulated over the last 30 years of my corporate career. It is not something I have been particularly chasing, even though the option has been made available in the past.”
Looking back on the moments in his HR career that prepared him most for this transition, he says, “I anchored my career on HR and business roles, as I have the belief that to be highly impactful as an HR leader I have to be a credible business leader with real on-the-ground business experiences. Business is about people and the ability to understand what drives people engagement and performance is a key strength.”
For Jonathan, it’s about leveraging the insights gained from the different business roles he has held in the past, underlined by his passion for human capital investment.
Now more than ever, he believes, HR leaders have to devote more time and focus on developing leaders’ capacity to respond to an unpredictable world.
New opportunities
“HR roles are key business roles and affirms the principle that businesses are about people and those at the forefront of people development are just as credible to lead the business,” he says.
Akhona Qengqe’s story completes this trio. About eight years ago, she was navigating her career at KFC, when a moment where she was itching for change changed everything. “I got to a point in my development where I felt I needed something different. I didn’t quite know why, but I felt ready for my next opportunity, so I sent our chief people and culture officer (CPCO) a message to ask for a meeting to express what I was feeling.”
That message was the start of a journey she hadn’t anticipated. Instead of nodding sympathetically or suggesting she look elsewhere, the CPCO asked her if she were to design her job right now, what would that look like?
In an almost dismissive attempt to close off the conversation, Akhona replied, “I don’t know, I like people. I think I could do a role in HR.”
She had no HR qualifications or background. However, two weeks later, the stars aligned.
A seat at the table
“She came back to me and told me our conversation was timely as they were busy creating a new role to craft and drive KFC’s transformation, diversity and inclusion agenda and it would sit in HR and I couldn’t believe it, because if I had a calling in life, that was probably it,” Akhona adds.
“I realised HR was actually the biggest enabler of business relevance. It wasn’t just about policies or processes – it was about creating a culture of inclusivity internally and making sure our consumers could identify with our brand externally.”
Two years later, she was promoted to chief people officer, and not long after, she made another leap, this time into the role of general manager, a position she has held for the past two years. Akhona credits her success in this role mostly to the time spent in HR leadership.
“If people are an organisation’s greatest asset, then HR is asset management,” she says. “The job is to maximise the value of people by putting them where they’re best able to deliver results, and the only function that has jurisdiction over the entire people life cycle is HR. If you’re in HR and you don’t see yourself as an asset manager, then maybe you need to think differently about your role.”
It’s this thinking that gave Akhona her confidence to claim a seat at the table. “I’ve seen too many critical meetings where HR is called last, after the finance and business conversations are done. That’s the wrong way around. People are the business so HR should be the first in the room.”
Drawing from her own experience behind the HR desk, she also credits the unseen skills the role develops. “HR teaches you the ability to hear what is not being said. HR taught me the ability to read the room. The ability to say let’s take a break and reconvene. The HR role allowed me to spot patterns and connect dots,” she says.
“People sometimes think HR is just the function that writes policies and disciplines staff, but the truth is, HR is about leading business through people. And if you can lead people, you can lead anything. HR leaders can be CEOs, GMs, heads of business. I’m living proof.”
